- Golden, sandy, honey, dark grizzle, slate, smoke, parti- colour, black, white or brownish.
- All equally acceptable
About the Lhasa Apso
Origin: Tibet (China)
- Typical life span
- 12-15 years
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 5.4-8.2 kg
- Female
- 5.0-8.2 kg
- Height
- Male
- 25-28 cm
- Female
- 23-28 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Companion and Toy Dogs
- Origin
- Tibet (China)
- Known hereditary risks
- 3 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Lhasa Apso?
Small, hardy, and sturdy ancient Tibetan breed known for its floor-length coat of hair that parts down the back and alert, confident expression, originally bred as palace and monastery sentinel
Lhasa Apso history and origins
Ancient breed developed in Tibetan monasteries and palaces over a thousand years ago as indoor sentinel dogs, alerting monks to intruders. Highly prized and rarely left the country until brought to England in 1920s
Lhasa Apso appearance and size
Males typically weigh 5.4-8.2 kg and stand 25-28 cm at the shoulder; females 5.0-8.2 kg and 23-28 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Toy Dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Gay and assertive. Alert, steady but somewhat aloof with strangers”
Quoted from FCI standard n°227. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Toy Dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 2 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 3 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Lhasa Apso
What you get with the Lhasa Apso
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Toy Dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Gay and assertive. Alert, steady but somewhat aloof with strangers”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 14 years across 7052 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- 2 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in eyes and kidneys & urinary. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Top coat long, heavy, straight, hard neither woolly nor silky.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death; American Lhasa Apso Club - Frequently Asked Questions. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Lhasa Apso
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Top coat long, heavy, straight, hard neither woolly nor silky.
Moderate undercoat.
Coat never impeding action
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°227 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Ideal height at the withers: Males: 25 cms, females slightly smaller”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°227. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Lhasa Apso in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Lhasa Apso
Known hereditary risks for the Lhasa Apso breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Bones & joints
Patellar luxation
Monitor
The kneecap slips out of its groove because the groove itself is often shallow. A large English primary-care veterinary study found Lhasa Apso among the breeds significantly over-represented for the condition.
What to ask for
OFA (or equivalent vet) patellar luxation exam (graded 0-4) on both parents.
Eyes
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA4)
Serious
An inherited, recessive degeneration of the retina causing night blindness from around seven years old on average, progressing to full blindness. The causative mutation (a LINE-1 insertion near the IMPG2 gene) has been identified and a DNA test exists.
What to ask for
DNA test for the IMPG2 (PRA4) mutation on both parents.
Kidneys & urinary
Juvenile renal dysplasia
Serious
The breed's own club describes this as the most serious hereditary disease in the Lhasa Apso: kidneys that fail to develop properly, leading to chronic kidney disease and often death at a young age. There is no cure, though supportive treatment can extend quality and length of life.
What to ask for
No fully validated commercial DNA test exists for this breed. Ask for a renal ultrasound and urinalysis (urine specific gravity and protein:creatinine ratio) on both parents, and ask about early kidney failure in close relatives, since routine bloodwork can miss early-stage disease.
How long the Lhasa Apso lives, in the records
Median survival 14.0 years
95% confidence interval 13.9–14.2 years, from 2,723 recorded deaths among 7,052 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.62 (0.59, 0.64) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
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Puppies
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